Rudy Ruiz is the author of the novels The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez and Valley of Shadows; the short story collection Seven for the Revolution; a nonfiction book in Spanish, ¡Adelante!; an essay in the anthology Going Hungry; and numerous short stories, essays and columns in literary journals, newspapers, and websites. His accolades include the Texas Institute of Letters’ Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction; the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction; and eight International Latino Book Awards. Most recently, he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters and longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. A bilingual native of the US–Mexico border, Rudy earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Harvard University. He lives in San Antonio and Boston with his wife and two children. His new novel is The Border Between Us.
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Rudy Ruiz
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The Border Between Us
Ramón López was born along the US–Mexico border but is determined to get out and embrace the American dream—and he's not sure whether his complicated family is a help or a hindrance. As the son of immigrants, as Ramón grows, his admiration for his entrepreneurial father sours as he watches his dad's dreams of success wither on the vine. Ramón's mother is constantly preoccupied with his younger brother, who struggles with intellectual disabilities. And the outside world is rife with danger and temptations threatening to distract Ramón from his dreams of making it to New York and succeeding as an artist.
As dreams clash with reality and values conflict with desires, Ramón finds the American dream within his reach—but will it demand too big a sacrifice?
Award-winning author Rudy Ruiz brilliantly captures the beauty and the danger of border life as Ramón struggles to understand his home and his place in the world. "The Border Between Us" is a stunning, compassionate story about a son's fraught relationship with his father, the challenges of pursuing a creative life when you come from humble beginnings, and the power of embracing the whole of who you are.
